Dashboard

Now,  I had a nice idea again…

I do like working with fiberglass… If you are the same way, here is an idea for you:

take your dashboard out, strip the vinyl off, cut out the two pods,  loose the piece in between where I installed my clock, put the pods in a slight angle so the speedo and Tachometer are missing the structure for the steering column (That’s why the single pod instruments are so cross eyed ) and fiberglass them in place (or  make a new piece similar to the single pod dashboard and have a hybrid) and then let it be recovered …

Now that would be a very cool panel and all the attachments fit, and you can read your instruments

@tomkuester posted:

Well if I wasn't convinced about doing this swap, I'm now convinced not to it only to correct a shrunken vinyl wrap. That's a great deal of work. If I had electrical problems as well, I'd be on it, but everything is original and still works.

Thank you Doug.

I guess that it is as simple as you want to make it? There is quite a bit of work in mine but when you enjoy it, it isn't work at all.

As far as a single pod not bolting up exactly as a dual pod does, all I can say is, mine did.

If I was a pilot like Lemans is, everyone would need to have a parachute just in case, but only because all of the work that I did on the plane?

Hmm @panteradoug how was you r dash bolted on?

my 2 pod has 3 or 4 of them with a matching bracket in the dash (originally holding clips for sheet metal screws, and I substituted with studs)

single pod has… nothing up there (also, there is a sheel metal square on the single versus just a sheet metal piece sticking out on the double..)

2 pod dash: nothing at the ends

Single pod:

nothing to do with parachutes… But what’s not there… is not there.. did you just use the four bottom screws to hold it?

Or did DeTomaso made a “double dipping” and had everything on it on your car for both styles of dash…

It appears that all Pantera interiors are painted yellow. Certainly mine is. No need to answer.

@tomkuester posted:

It appears that all Pantera interiors are painted yellow. Certainly mine is. No need to answer.

But I want to… Especially the BLACK cars..

…well that’s how you find your true color..

@LeMans850i posted:

Hmm @panteradoug how was you r dash bolted on?

my 2 pod has 3 or 4 of them with a matching bracket in the dash (originally holding clips for sheet metal screws, and I substituted with studs)

single pod has… nothing up there (also, there is a sheel metal square on the single versus just a sheet metal piece sticking out on the double..)

2 pod dash: nothing at the ends

Single pod:

nothing to do with parachutes… But what’s not there… is not there.. did you just use the four bottom screws to hold it?

Or did DeTomaso made a “double dipping” and had everything on it on your car for both styles of dash…

At the time I wasn't thinking about documenting the installation so I didn't take pictures. As it turns out I would have lost those anyway in a hard drive crash.

My reply to you is that my single pod mounted exactly like the dual pod does. Four screws into the factory welded in brackets.

The only difference in mounting was in accessing the screw behind the speedometer through the speedometer mounting hole.

Since this was a dash built for me by Bob Byers, and I didn't have a 74 USA plastic single pod to compare it to, I can't tell you if there is a difference between the two.

Having said that though, there was no discussion between he and I about mounting differences because I never discussed what I was replacing with the new one.

He had the molds to make them and was the supplier at least to Hall of fiberglass Pantera parts.

How did you determine that the single pod and dual pod use different mounting points?  My car is 4460. It was built in September of '72. It is an L and some call it a 72-1/2 model.

What differences there are in bracketry compared to a 1973 or 1974 build I would not know. Only someone who has worked on many Panteras CHANGING THE DASH's would know for sure and I'd speculate that they would only know how they were different would be because of what they were doing to the car, often oblivious to other differences that didn't effect them?

Again, only speculation on my part, but this dash fits perfectly to the car and the mounting presented no issue except the speedometer hole one.

If you have further questions, I have no issue in answering them to the best of my ability. So ask away.

I will go back and re-emphasize that I think changing out the dash as I did is not for a novice to attempt. There are just too many little details that need to be dealt with that are specializations in reality. That is just my opinion or more correctly my caution to anyone considering this.

I will go and look at my single pod again and see if I notice differences with mine and those that you post pictures of.

One, right off the bat is mine was supplied as smooth, with no grain in it as you posted.

As a result I'm thinking the mold that Byers lifted was from a Euro car rather then a USA car?

I see… The dashboard you installed was made for the purpose Of substituting two pod dashboards… it wasn’t a single pod dashboard From a single pod car…

my car is like yours (72 1/2 #4679 L)

the dash on eBay is a real dash for a single pod car..

it makes sense that they changed the mounting points because the four screws under the windshield are a pain in the ass.

@LeMans850i posted:

I see… The dashboard you installed was made for the purpose Of substituting two pod dashboards… it wasn’t a single pod dashboard From a single pod car…

my car is like yours (72 1/2 #4679 L)

the dash on eBay is a real dash for a single pod car..

it makes sense that they changed the mounting points because the four screws under the windshield are a pain in the ass.

Myself, just being a lamb in the woods, never thought to ask that. Both Byers brothers have passed as has Gary Hall.

I just bought a single pod dash. To my memory, there were no questions about what car serial number it was going into?

That was probably 10 years ago so I do not remember the discussion precisely.

The only precise answer would be to put the four dashes together for comparison. 1) the dual pod 2) the US single pod from the '74 model 3)the single pod from a Euro pantera and 4) mine.

That would be the only way to determine what exactly was done?

I do know that my single pod does not have the same mounting provision as that shown in the above picture on the ends. There are mounts there but they are concealed within (underneath) so the mold wasn't lifted from a US single pod dash.